shoemaker



J. F. SHOEMAKER.

COMBINED CHECK, CHECK BOOK HOLDER, AND CUTTER.

' APPLICATION FILED NOV-7.1916.

l ,305 ,941 Patented June 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

\\ l NJ:

I J. F. SHOEMAKER. COMBINED CHECK, CHECK BOOK HOLDER, AND CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1916.

1 ,305, 9%]. a Patented June 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNTTED ETATLE PATENT @FFTQE.

JOHN F. SHOEMAKER, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGN OR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

PROTECTU CORPORATION,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. SHOEMAKER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, in the county of Folk and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Combined Check, Check-Book Holder, and Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a check having indicating characters and marks on its face, so arranged as to afford protection to the maker, together with a holder adapted to hold a book of such checks in a certain position with relation to the book, which holder supports a cutter on a flexible member, which cutter is designed for severing the check along certain lines with relation to the indicating characters thereon, and to provide means whereby the stubs may be folded and held out of the way after the checks have been out therefrom.

In general it is my object to provide a safety check in combination with a cover therefor, adapted to cooperate in preparing the check for issuance and in preserving a record of the checks issue. This device will afford absolute protection to the maker of the check against raising of such check after it has been issued.

My invention consists in arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a top or plan viewof a book of my improved checks installed in a cover therefor, the cover being laid out in itsopen position.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a top or plan view of one end of the cover with a. check book installed therein and with the stubs from which checks have been removed, folded over out of the way, and

Fig. 4 shows a vertical, sectional View taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

My improved check comprises a sheet 10 havin a stub portion 11, the sheet 10 being provi ed on its face with indicating characters in any ordinary form represented by the numeral 12, for showing the place where Specification of Letters Patent.

the construction, A

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed November 7, 1916. Serial No. 129,930.

the check has been made. The sheet 10 is also provided with a blank date line 13, blank line ll for the number of the check, a blank line 15 for writing in the amount of the figures, and a blank line 16 for the name of the payee. Near the left hand end of the check adjacent to the line 16 are the words Pay to the orderof or their equivalent. The check also has a blank line 17 for writing in the amount of the check, and at the right hand end of said line the word Dollars or some equivalent; also a blank line 18 for the signature of the maker of the check.

At the left hand end of the check are a plurality of vertical lines 19, crossed by slanting or inclined lines 20, and between the lines 20 in the column formed by the lines 19 are indicating characters 21 ar-- ranged in regular successive amounts.

Extending diagonally across the face of the check are parallel diagonal lines 22, crossing the blank lines 16, 17 and 18. Printed or written across the blank lines 22 are the words Not good for more than largest amount shown in figures on left margin. Void if margin detached or some equivalent of such words. Arranged adjacent to the right hand line 19 and above and below the words Pay to the order of, are suitable indicating characters 23, such for instance, as the words At the left of the columns of figures is the check stub 11, having certain blank lines 2i and 25 for keeping a record of the transaction of which the issuing of the check and for keeping a record of the was a part I the account on which the check condition of is drawn. I p

The checks hereinbefore described are preferably arranged in 'a book, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and are secured together by suitable glue or the likell at their left hand ends. The book of checks has no front cover, but has a back member 26 which is considerably shorter than the checks, as

clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

I provide a check bookholder preferably comprising a rectangular strip or cover member 27 of leather or the like, having -on its upper surface between its ends a pocket formed by means of a piece of leather 28 sewed or otherwise secured at its right hand end and at its t07p and bottom edges to the cover member 2 so as to form a pocket Protectu check.

open at its left hand end. Overlapping the upper end of the pocket member 28 is a fiap 29, secured to the cover member 27 at its side edges and having a central portion adapted to be folded into the space between the member 28 and the cover member 27, in the manner hereinafter to be described.

At one end of the cover member 27 is formed the flexible extension 27 forming part of the cover member adjacent to the pocket and carrying a metal check cutter indicated generally by the character A. The ends of the cover member are provided with coacting fastening devices 30 and 31 like an ordinary glove fastener, so arranged that when the cover is fastened over the check book the cutter A will be folded and held inside the cover. I

The cutter A comprises a plate 32 having at one edge a portion 33 folded over on the body of said plate. The plate 32 is secured to the end of the flexible extension 27 and is provided with a bead 34 extending longitudinally of its outer surface. A portion 35 of the plate 32 extends beyond the bead 34 and forms a cutting edge. Slidably mounted on the plate 32 is a plate 36, one portion ofwhich slides between the plate 32 and the folded over portion 33. The plate 36 has a groove 37 which receives the bead 34, and also a projecting portion 38 which forms a cutting edge. One end of the portion 38 at 39 forms a diagonal cutting edge. At one end of the portion 38 is a laterally extending handle portion 40.

I will now describe the protective features of the check and thereafter the use of the cutter and holder and the features wherein the check and the cutter and holder cooperate with each other. Idesire to emphasize that my primary purpose is to provide a self protecting check. I have therefore provided my check with the columns of figures 23, with the lines 22 and the printed matter thereacross, and the indicating characters 23 projecting into the body of the check, as shown. It will be noted that in a check of this kind it is necessary to use the check in the manner for which it is designed to cut the check along the straight lines 19 and the diagonal lines 20 so that the largest amount shown in the left hand margin represents the maximum amount for which the check. can possibly be drawn. This feature alone might not afford protection for the reason that a person desiring to raise the check could cut the check along the right hand line and there would be nothing to indicate that there had ever been anything on the left hand margin. In addition to the lines 19 and 20, I have provided the diagonal lines 22 and printed across said lines. the warning words hereinbefore referred to.

It will be seen that it would be very difficult to remove the lines'22 and the warning words, in so much as they extend diagonally. across the lines which would contain the name of the payee, the written words indicating the amount for which the check had been drawn, and the name of the maker.

In this connection attention is called to the fact that chemical ink eradicators while they will remove ordinary writing ink, will not remove printers ink, and it is therefore necessary to remove the lines 22 and the warning words written across them, by

abrasion. Such abrasion makes the check' bodythinner along one line and is readily noticeable. However, to avoid the possibility of raising the check after the warning line may have been removed by chemicals or otherwise, I have provided the warning characters 23 extending into the body of the check in such a way that the check could not be severed on a vertical line for the purpose of removing the characters 23 without destroying part of the words Pay to the order of.

It is therefore seen that it would be extremely diflicult and tedious to remove the indicating characters which protect the check, and as a matter of fact, it is believed to be impossible to effect such removal without so multilating the check as to call attention at once to the fact that the check had been tampered with. In this connection attention is called to thefact that the indicatvided with my book a cover 27 of flexible material so that the check book and cover may be folded together with the checkbook inside the cover and with the ends of the cover fastened together. Inside the cover as thus closed together, is'the cutter A secured to the flexible end member or extension 27*. The flexible extension 27" is such that it may be moved to different positions for properly placing the cutter A for severing the check on the proper line. The cutting edges 34, 39 and 38 may be arranged with relation to the lines 19 and 20 for properly severing the check, and because the member 27 is flexible it is easy to :properly adjust the cutter to position on the check.

The pocket formed by the member 28 holds the check in proper position with relation to the cover 27 and the check book is prevented from slipping out of the pocket and the cover by means of the flap 29 which is folded over the end of the check book and into the pocket, as shown in Fig. l, whereby the check is firmly and properly held in position and is held against movement longitudinally of the cover and against any accidental dropping out of the cover.

It is desirable with all checks to retain the stubs as memoranda of the transaction accomplished by means of the check. With a check of the type herein described it is desirable to retain that part of the stub which contains the remaining figures 21, indicating the m. ximum amount for which the check was drawn. It will be noted that if the first or top check is represented by figures in the right hand column of said figures, then unless the top stub is moved out of the way it is diflicult to secure access with the cutter to the next lower check and stub for cutting the next lower check on such lines as will indicate a larger amount than that for which the top check was drawn. Therefore, while'it is desirable to retain all of the stubs, the user of such a check must solve the problem of what to do with the upper stub members after the upper check member has been filled out and removed. This problem I solve by folding the stubs over the flap 29 and the end of the check book and inserting the free end of. the

stubs into the pocket between the flaps 29.

and the cover member 27. When this has been done the next lower check is fully exposed and free access thereto with the cutter may be had.

Another advantage arising from the provision of a means for folding over and holding the stubs, is that the stubs are not exposed to the gaze of the curious, which might permit transactions to be public which the owner of the check book would prefer to keep secret or private.

From the foregoing description of the use of my improved check, cover and cutter, it will be seen that the check book cover and cutter cooperate with the check itself in providing a complete protective check and means for using and manipulating the same. The check book and cover have coacting means by which they may be secured together. The cutter is secured to the book in such a way as to be readily moved to different position; with relation to the check, and

drawn for a small amountin such a way as to be always readily found in connection with the check book. The flap 29 prevents accidental removal of the check book and firmly holds it in position for use with the cutter. The flap 29 also prevents the entire removal of the stubs from the check book. If the checks were simply gummed together at their ends and no flap were used, and the stubs 11 were folded over the end of the check book, they would quickly tear olf, whereas the flap, on account of the fact that at its right hand end it overlaps the check, assists in preventing the stubs from being torn from the check book.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the various parts of my improved device, and it is my intention to cover by this application any modifications of structure which may be included within the reasonable scope of my claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a check book comprising a plurality of checks each having on its face columns of figures arranged in successively increasing amounts, means for securing said checks together, a holder, means for securing said checks in said holder in a certain position with relation to the holder, said holder havin flexible ends, a cutter on one of said ends, t e parts being so arranged that when the checks are installed in the holder the cutter may be readily moved to a variety of positions above the numbers on the top check, said flexible ends being provided with coacting fastening devices so arranged that when the ends are fastened by said fastening devices, the checks and the free end of the flexible end, which carries the cutter, will be within the holder.

2. In a device of the class described, a check pad, comprising a plurality of checks, means for securing said checks together at one end of the pad, a check cover having a pocket, a device on said checkpad for entering said check pocket, and a flap on said pad adapted to be folded around one end of said check pad and extended into said pocket for holding the check pad against removal from the cover. 7 I

Des Moines, Iowa, September 9, 1916.

JOHN F. SHOEMAKER. 

